MLB.com beat writer Brian McTaggart blogs about all things Astros.

Results tagged ‘ Jose Altuve ’

Astros outfielder Dexter Fowler said Saturday he had accepted an invitation to play for the MLB All-Star team during the All-Star Series 2014, which is a five-game series against Japan’s national team next month in Japan.

Fowler was invited by the Major League Baseball Players Association to join the tour, which includes Astros teammate Jose Altuve. Fowler hit .276 with a .375 on-base percentage and eight homers and 35 RBIs in his first season with the Astros.

“It’s an honor to be accepted to represent MLB in Japan for the Japanese tour,” Fowler said. “I’m very excited and humbled at the opportunity.”

The team, which will be managed by John Farrell, includes MLB All-Stars Robinson Cano of the Seattle Mariners, Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles, Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The first game will be held on Nov. 12 at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, with games two through five at the Tokyo Dome Nov. 14-16. The fifth and final game will be No. 18 at the Sapporo Dome in Sapporo. Two exhibition games will complement the five-game series, with one game in Osaka (Koshien Stadium) and the other in Okinawa (Okinawa Cellular Stadium).

The batting gloves worn by Jose Altuve when he passed Magglio Ordonez last week to set the record for most hits in a single season by a Venezuelan-born player are on their way to the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame.

Juan Pablo Galavis, a former professional soccer player who was recently featured on the reality show “The Bachelor,” is an ambassador for the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and is traveling the country to collect donates to improve the facility, as well as gathering memorabilia from Venezuelan-born players.

Galavis, who born was in Ithaca, N.Y., but lived in Venezuela as a child, said Altuve is well-known in his native country.“With baseball being the first sport in Venezuela, every player that gets to the big leagues becomes a name,” he said. “Not only here and what he has done here, but also when he goes back home and he played last year and the year before, [reaching] the finals. They become super stars.”

The Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame, which opened in 2002, was the brainchild of the Cardenas family, which included a young son stricken with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was such a huge baseball fan he wound up writing some books on the sports before passing away in 1994, and his family decided to open the Hall of Fame in his honor.

Galavis saw the Cardenas family story on a documentary and he started traveling to the United States to spread the word about the museum to Venezuelan-born players. He recently designation from the IRS as a charitable organizations, called the Cardenas Sports Foundation Baseball Hall of Fame Inc.

“I found out many of the players didn’t know the museum was there,” he said. “That’s what I stayed with them. It’s easier for me to travel to the United States, getting collectibles for the museum, just like Cooperstown does, than waiting for them to get to Venezuela, because maybe they won’t come, the teams won’t let them play. That’s pretty much what I like to do. It’s my passion.”

Galavis said being a TV celebrity has helped him make more inroads.

“I’ll say it’s helped a lot,” he said. “Obviously, I could so the same thing I did three years, two years ago, but now they see me a little differently.”

2B Jose Altuve was out of the lineup Saturday one day after leaving Friday’s game with neck discomfort. The good news for the Astros is Altuve said he felt much better and expected to be back in the lineup Sunday. “They just told me to sit the bench today, and I’m going to be ready to pinch-hit and pinch-run,” he said.

OF Alex Presley took batting practice on the field Saturday for the first time since he injured his oblique swinging the bat a month ago and said things went well. He could begin a Minor League rehab stint any day. “I’m looking forward to getting out there,” he said. “It’s been a while.”

OF George Springer took batting practice Saturday, but it remains a mystery when he’ll be activated. Springer tweaked his injured left quad during a Minor League rehab assignment earlier this week. “My speed is my game and it’s hard not to have that, so it’s one of those things you just to be smart and go whenever I can go,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to be 100 percent, so hopefully I can get back out there soon.”

OF Dexter Fowler could return to the Astros’ lineup any day. Astros manager Bo Porter said Saturday that Fowler was scheduled to have four at-bats as designated hitter in his second game on rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was 2-for-3 with an RBI in his first game on Friday against Iowa. “When you play and you’re playing consecutive days and we don’t have any ill effects from what put you on the disabled list, you’re ready to go,” Porter said. “He’s not down there to prove he can hit. He’s down there to prove he’s healthy.”

• 2B Jose Altuve set an Astros franchise record by recording a steal in 6 consecutive games…has recorded multiple steals in 4 consecutive games…is the 3rd player in the Modern era and the 1st since Ray Chapman in 1917 to record multiple steals in 4 straight games…his 36 steals lead the AL and are a new career high for a single season (had 35 total steals in 2013).
• Altuve increased his Major League-leading hits total to 116 on the season…is just 7 hits shy of Bob Watson’s Astros franchise record for hits prior to the All-Star Break (123 hits set in 1973)…today was his 35th multi-hit game of the year, which leads the Majors…was his 4th consecutive multi-hit game…has recorded multiple hits in 9 of his last 12 games…has hit over .500 in his last 14 games since June 12 (.509, 28-for-55).
• Altuve hit his 100th career double today, becoming just the 12th player in franchise history to compile 100 career doubles and 100 career steals…the others are Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Cesar Cedeno, Jose Cruz, Jimmy Wynn, Terry Puhl, Kevin Bass, Bill Doran, Enos Cabell, Derek Bell and Joe Morgan

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who led the Major Leagues with 90 hits entering Tuesday, was back in the starting lineup against the Nationals for the first time since Thursday. He was hit on the hand by a pitch in that game and didn’t start over the weekend against the Rays in Houston.

Altuve was back in the No. 2 spot in the batting order behind Dexter Fowler, who led off the game with a single and was erased on Altuve’s double play.

“I feel really good,” said Altuve, who had a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth inning Sunday. “I feel 100 percent. I’m going to be ready to go and get on base and play defense to keep winning some games.”

The Astros’ lineup is clearly much more effective with Altuve in it. He has hit safely in 30 of his last 34 games and leads the American League with 24 stolen bases. Defensively, he ranks third among Major League second baseman in total chances (320), but has made just two errors.

“It’s always exciting when you pencil the big guy in the lineup,” manager Bo Porter said. “We’re happy to have him back. That was a scare, but the news was good right away with it not being a fracture and the soreness and the swelling is behind him, so he’s ready to go.”

After saying this spring his goal was to play in 162 games this year, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was unhappy with being out of the lineup Wednesday against the D-backs. Altuve felt discomfort in his left oblique swinging at a 61-mph curveball Tuesday and was out of the lineup for the first time this season as a result.

“They asked me if I could play and I said, ‘Yes,’” said Altuve, who leads the Major Leagues with 88 hits and the AL with 24 steals and 279 at-bats. “I don’t think it’s something to take a day off, but if they want to keep me on the bench, I’m going to be ready to come in the game whenever they want.”

Astros manager Bo Porter always likes to play it safe with any kind of injury, and that is certainly the case with his best hitter.

“Altuve obviously wants to play, but at the same time you have to protect them from themselves,” Porter said. “We feel like if he gets treatment today and tomorrow, he should be fine and ready to go. This is not something we want to linger and become a problem where he could miss two or three weeks trying to recover from.”

Altuve said that he was going to try to get Porter to change the lineup.

“Whenever his baseball career is over, he’s got a chance to be an attorney because he tried to plead his beset cast to get himself in the lineup,” Porter said. “Jose Altuve is arguably one of the best players in our game. He’s not someone you can replace, but at the same time it’s the next guy up. Marwin [Gonzalez] is going to play second base today, and the guys we run out there we believe they’re going to give us an opportunity to win the game.”

Porter wasn’t asked if he would even stay away from Altuve in a pinch-hit situation.

“I wouldn’t go that far, because if the big guy is standing on deck over there it makes the other team think twice,” he said.

As promised, Astros manager Bo Porter had catcher Jason Castro hitting third and second baseman Jose Altuve hitting fourth Wednesday against the Yankees. It was only the third time in Altuve’s career – the other two came in his rookie season in 2011 – he batted cleanup.

With Dexter Fowler entrenched the leadoff spot and Robbie Grossman batting second, Porter is flip-flopping Castro and Altuve based on matchups – Castro (left-handed bat) hitting third against right-handers, and Altuve (right-handed bat) hitting third against lefties.

“Obviously, Altuve and Castro are arguably our two best hitters, and having Fowler and Grossman at the top, those two guys are switch-hitters who can get on base,” Porter said. “When you hit Castro third and a right-hander is pitching, you’re basically making sure the left-hander gets the extra at-bat given the matchup scenario.

“When it’s a left-hander pitching, you put Altuve in the three-hole to make sure the right-hander gets the extra at-bat given the match-up scenario.”

The rest of the lineup will also depend on matchups for the most part, though third baseman Matt Dominguez has hit seventh and shortstop Jonathan Villar has batted ninth in each of the first two games. Designated hitter Chris Carter hit sixth against lefty CC Sabathia on Tuesday and fifth against a right-hander on Wednesday.

The one certainty manager Bo Porter had entering Spring Training has changed, thanks to Robbie Grossman.

Porter, who proclaimed in the winter Dexter Fowler would hit leadoff, Jose Altuve would bat second and Jason Castro would hit third, said Wednesday that Grossman has played his way into the No. 2 spot in the order behind Fowler. Altuve and Castro could switch, depending on the opposing pitcher.

“That combination will be our top four,” Porter said.

Grossman, a switch-hitter, has been a high-on base player throughout his career (.381 in Minor League career) and last year posted a .332 on-base percentage in his Major League debut, including .351 after he was called up for his second stint.

“That thinking has changed a little bit just looking at Fowler and Grossman as two guys that get on base at a high percentage and again just trying to get as many guys on base in front of arguably our best two hitters, Jason and Altuve,” Porter said. “It’s about lineup construction and putting yourself in the best position to score runs given the opponent and the pitcher we’re facing that night.”

The Astros announced Saturday they had signed popular second baseman Jose Altuve to a four-year contract extension with a pair of option years, marking the team’s first significant contract commitment under general manager Jeff Luhnow. The deal was first reported by MLB.com.

The extension begins in 2014 and runs through the 2017 season and provides the club with options for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Additional terms were not disclosed, but Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported the deal is worth $12.5 million for four years with two club options for $6 million and $6.5 million.

“Jose values security and we value Jose, and it starts with that,” Luhnow said. “He’s done a terrific job for us ever since getting called up from Double-A two years ago, and he’s been a consistent force in our lineup. He just knows how to hit and he’s a good defender at second base, and when you get a player like that who can add value, not only when he’s at the plate but on the base paths, but also when he’s out there at second base, those are the types of guys we feel we need to have and have long-term. Removing some of the uncertainty for him and for us at this point makes sense.”

The Astros are essentially buying out Altuve’s three arbitration years (though 2017) and doing it in a relatively cost-friendly manner for the team.

Luhnow spent most of his first year on the job trading away players who were in the midst of multi-year contracts in exchange for prospects as the Astros went full-bore in their plan to rebuild through the Draft and player development. The Astros opened this year with a payroll of about $22 million, with Bud Norris ($3 million) as the highest-paid player.

The Altuve deal, which has been in the work for a couple of weeks with talks intensifying in the last few days, means the club is taking the next step in its rebuilding process by locking up some young players it feels will be building blocks for the future. All-Star catcher Jason Castro could fit that mold.

“This won’t be the last time we tie up one of our young players,” Luhnow said. “In this case, it made a lot of sense, both in terms of timing and length of deal and so forth, but it’s something we’re going to look at.

“We’re going to have a lot of exciting young talent coming through our system and to the big leagues and once we feel there’s enough certainty on our side that the player is going to be around and be able to contribute at the level we need him to for the long haul, we’re going to try to get deals done. It eliminates some of the back-and-forth that goes on year in and year out with arbitration and gives the player some security and gives us some certainly know the player is going to be there for us.”

Altuve, 23, was promoted from Double-A Corpus Christi in 2011 after the Astros traded Jeff Keppinger and plugged into the starting lineup. He batted .284 with three homers and 28 RBIs in 85 games as a rookie before a breakout season in 2012, when he hit .290 with seven homers, 37 RBIs and 33 steals en route to an All-Star Game berth.

He is hitting .280 with three homers, 28 RBIs and 21 stolen bases through 86 games this season.

The Astros have agreed to a long-term contract extension with popular second baseman Jose Altuve, a source told MLB.com on Saturday. The deal marks the team’s first significant contract commitment under general manager Jeff Luhnow. Terms of the deal aren’t known, but it will be announced later Saturday.

Luhnow spent most of his first year on the job trading away players who were in the midst of multi-year contracts in exchange for prospects as the Astros went full-bore in their plan to rebuild through the Draft and player development. The Astros opened this year with a payroll of about $22 million, with Bud Norris ($3 million) as the highest-paid player.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports Altuve deal is worth $12.5 million for four years with two club options for $6 million and $6.5 million in 2018-19.

The Astros buying out Altuve’s arbitration years by signing him to the deal. He was scheduled to be arbitration eligible next year and a free agent following the 2016 season.

Altuve, 23, was promoted from Double-A Corpus Christi in 2011 after the Astros traded Jeff Keppinger and plugged into the starting lineup. He batted .284 with three homers and 28 RBIs in 85 games as a rookie before a breakout season in 2012, when he hit .290 with seven homers, 37 RBIs and 33 steals en route to an All-Star Game berth.

He is hitting .280 with three homers, 28 RBIs and 21 stolen bases in 86 games this year.

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